Being the amazing, true-to-life adventures and (very likely) misadventures of a writer who seeks to take his education, activism and seemingly boundless energy to North Minneapolis, (NoMi) to help with a process of turning a rapidly revitalizing neighborhood into something approaching Urban Utopia. I am here to be near my child. From 02/08 to 06/15 this blog pushed free speech to the envelope, so others could take heart and speak unafraid. Email me at hoffjohnw@gmail.com

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Hot And Specific New Allegations Aired On Facebook About Troy Lewis, Tragic Patriarch Who Lost 5 Children And, Uncomfortably And Inconveniently, A Registered Sex Offender From Cook County, Illinois...

Facebook photo of "Luvd'bydabest Hated Bydarest," used under FirstAmendment Fair Comment and Criticism, blog post by John HoffSame Facts, Different NarrativesAt this moment, there are at least two, possibly three, red hot public narratives happening in regard to the tragic February 14 fire which claimed the lives of 5 out of 7 siblings at 2818 Colfax Ave. N. Oh, The Humanity!The first narrative talks about the terrible tragedy, urges help for the survivors, but ignores or angrily minimizes certain uncomfortable facts which don't conveniently fit with the soap opera mass media story of innocent, tragic, blameless victims of cruel, hard fate. Call it the "mainstream media narrative." This Pollyanna tale spun itself upon about 200 media outlets all across the nation before anybody dug very deeply into facts beyond the immediate scene of the fire. Some have even described the father, Troy Lewis, as a "former Marine" who was "wounded" in "Desert Storm." If there is a shred of proof, such as a picture of Troy in uniform or military discharge papers, I haven't seen THAT proof as part of THAT narrative. Oh, and the slumlord should be held responsible. That, in summary, is the first narrative. An Inconvenient Truth, Well, A Number Of ThemThe second narrative (call it the Johnny Northside narrative, though it is bigger than this blog) acknowledges there was a tragedy, and realizes the children need help, but includes uncomfortable facts in its telling of the tale. Chief among these facts and first aired on this blog is the icky, uncomfortable knowledge Troy Lewis, the tragic father who lost five children, is a registered sex offender......convicted in Illinois of rape, deviate sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, and failing to report a change of address. http://www.isp.state.il.us/sor/sor.cfm

Illinois Adult Sex Offender

Adult Sex Offender Information

Name:

TROY LEWIS

Date of Birth:

1/23/1954

Height:

5 ft. 10 in.

Weight:

204 lbs.

Sex:

M

Race:

B

Address:

Out of State

MINNEAPOLIS , MN 00000

Crime Information

Victim over the age of 18

Crimes:

FAILURE TO REPORT CHANGE OF ADDRESS

RAPE

DEVIATE SEXUAL ASSAULT

AGGRAVATED CRIMINAL SEXUAL ASSAULT

County of Conviction:

Cook

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The second narrative urges caution with anybody who claims to be fundraising, because hardly a death happens in our neighborhood without bad actors trying to set up a bank account and use the sad tale to squeeze out donations, frequently in direct competition with good actors. Will all the donations go where needed? Will the donations help? Will there even be bookkeeping and auditing of the donations? The most uncomfortable questions of all would be: What was a registered sex offender doing, all by himself, in charge of seven small children when court records show he had "mild dementia" and wouldn't those kids now be a lot better off in foster care? Wow, seven small children...the public assistance money must have been flowing like tap water, even though the city was getting ready to shut off the tap water at that address. I wonder if the money was being used responsibly or...Or if it was kind of a party? What Other Facts Are Out There?The second narrative examines the facts coming forth in the mass media but awaits the final verdict of fire investigators. Yes, Troy Lewis says there were non-working baseboard heaters and he used a space heater to stay warm. But anything could turn up in the investigation including a scorched bong, melted crack pipe, or even a plastic toy jammed in the ashy remains of a space heater. As for honorable military service, this blogger would like to examine proof before pronouncing this rapist a war hero or even a former soldier. Oh, and the slumlord should be held responsible, if those baseboard heaters weren't working and that family had to use a dangerous space heater. That's the second narrative, which sees the world in shades of gray not a black-and-white world of good victims, evil slumlords, and facts assumed to be certain just because those facts have been aired in the media. The "Also Ran" Third NarrativeThere is probably a third narrative which goes like this: Don't hold the poor landlord responsible and quit calling him a slumlord. Yeah, whatever. But there's certainly a third narrative just like there's a guy who calls himself a pirate who ran for Mayor of Minneapolis. Purported "Facts" Aired In Facebook Forums, OMGNow more purported "facts" are being aired in North Talk Facebook forum by somebody calling herself Luv'dbydabest Hated Bydarest, here shortened to "Luvdby." Her image is at the top of this blog posting but her legal name is unknown to this blogger. Luvdby says as follows:

Luvd'bydabest Hated Bydarest I Kno The Fuckin Family Personally... They Used To Live Next Door To Me.... The Father Is A Level 3 Sex Offender... My Mother Has A Restraining Order On him Right Now For Peeping in Our Window At My Lil And Her And The Neighbors House While Touching Himself...... My Mother And I Watched His Sick Wife, Who Was Very Sweet, Jump Through Hoops For Everyone While He Was Trying To Off His Self By Taking All Her Heart Medication And All His Pain Pills At Once....

Ive Seen The Paramedics Carry Him Out On Numerous Occasions While In Convulsions After Admittedly Trying To Kill Himself In Front Of The Children..... Smh YES PLZ HELP THOSE CHILDREN..... IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE.... THEY WILL NEED ALL YOUR PRAYERS.... BECAUSE HE IS AN ATTENTION SEEKING PSYCHOPATH.......

I HAVE THE ORIGINALS TO THESE CASES IM SPEAKING OF... SPREAD THE WORD... HELP THE CHILDREN AND NOT TROY LEWIS..... HE IS NO UPSTANDING MAN OF THE COMMUNITY... HE IS VERY DANGEROUS AND VERY AFFLICTED AND BE CAREFUL IN YOUR DEALINGS WITH HIM....
4 hours ago · Like · 2
(Paragraph breaks added by JNS blog, you're welcome)In response to a proponent of the "first narrative" who said she was "confused" why any of that "mattered" at this time, (oh, it's so very confusing why people would care about small children in the custody of a sex offender when five of their siblings died under his care, so CONFUSING) Luvdby wrote as follows:
Like I Said ... UR Right In Helping The family.... They Need It.... But Be Aware Of Anything That May Be Helpful In Dealing With him... And It Is Fact.... I Got Hospital Records, Diagnoses, Statements From My Whole Neighborhood.... If you Dont Like What I have To Say Thats Fine.... Idgaf.... Im Doing My Part As A Woman To Inform You That Hes Not A Lil Dangerous But A Lot.... Apparently Your The Type That Knows It All and Is Offended By Friendly Advice.... No Offense....
Dont Get Me Wrong Tho.... U Make Excellent Points.... BY All Means Do Your Christianly Duties.... I Can Understand That Completely.... Just Beware.... Goodness....
4 hours ago · Like · 1

OMG, ContinuedSeparately, on North Vent Facebook forum, a woman named Jennifer Bell wrote a number of factual allegations which this blog can't confirm, including asserting that Troy Lewis was a "child rapist." However, the Illinois website says "victim over 18." Then again, Illinois lists three separate convictions. Having pointed out these "facts" thrown around by Jennifer Bell seem to run counter to other known facts, (albeit not a very deep layer of facts, just a summary on an Illinois Corrections website) I will tell readers that Jennifer Bell said as follows:
...you need to google out of state and a little harder! We don't want FACTS in this community, we would rather stayed mired in our own dysfunction and never ask the hard questions. Here are the FACTS. These children are in the hands of GOD so there is nothing you can do for them. Anything you do now is for YOU to feel good or others to feel good about themselves. FACT, there are two children who, if God willing pull through will need things. The questions is WHAT to they need? What are you willing to do to HELP them? Clothes and toys.
FACTS! That you can verify by a simple Google or Henn Cty and Chicago online search in FIVE minutes.

Troy is a convicted CHILD RAPIST. TROY was in jail here THIS summer for failure to register when he came here from Chicago as a CHILD rapist. FACT he had control of seven little children as a CHILD Rapist. FACT their 31 year old Mother died a few months ago and the NEW girlfriend moved out last week-end. FACT he has physical disabilities, AND dementia and likes younger women, girls. You want to do something for the children DO something that matters.... You want us to make it easier for him to take them home? Clearly one week without a female in the house to take care of them and LOOK what happened
FACT go read what a neighbor posted on north talk about what he did to her family.

JNS blog here again...In response to Jennifer Bell's statement that North Minneapolis doesn't want facts but would rather stay mired in its own dysfunction rather than ask the hard questions, I posted a link to YouTube and told Bell this was a musical tribute to her commentary, as follows:
What happened at 2818 Colfax Ave. N., to the extent we even KNOW, is awful and sickening. These facts (as well as allegations and speculations) are awful. But this blogger believes Truth, unvarnished and awful though it may be, is the best disinfectant for whatever ails our neighborhood. Whatever additional facts come my way, I will air and publish. I really have no choice in the matter...Blogger On His Butt Versus Satellites In Space Because the mainstream media have utterly failed us. They have failed to make full and deep inquiries when and where urgently needed, and left us with a sweet but poisoned narrative about tragic victims in North Minneapolis. A blogger on his butt can dig this stuff up using Google, but media standing on the street in front of a scorched duplex with television news vans hooked to orbiting satellites in space can't figure out the father is a sex offender? And there might be some more really dodgy, really ugly facts out there? Why does the media shortchange our neighborhood in this way? I guess because a soap opera of innocent, righteous victims (a war hero, even!) is far more entertaining to the masses than uncomfortable yet highly relevant facts about the ugly situation in that tragic duplex. But as long as readers keep reading...JNS blog will keep digging.

He is not a war vet from Desert Storm. He was dishonorably discharged from the military over 35 years ago. He is a drug addict. He is a registered sex offender, that's what he was convicted of. He DID NOT serve time as a child rapist. HOWEVER - HE IS A PEDOPHILE! He has never been charged, but he is a child predator. He should not be allowed children, especially little girls. He is a criminal with an extensive background in Illinois.

Only those that are blind to the many lies/lives of Troy Lewis would think he is a sympathetic, grieving father. It is entirely possible that this fire started from his negligence/drug use. The 2 surviving girls should not be given back to this monster. Maybe if enough people come forward and tell the truth about this man, these little girls will have a chance to be saved. Please help them, don't give them back to him.

How long have residents of North Minneapolis been BEGGING our city officials to do something about the slumlords?

It wasn't that long ago people were leaping from the windows of a Mahmoud Khan rental property and does KHAN still have his rental licenses? Khan sure does. In fact, Khan evicted this family and where did they end up? Right in the arms of Paul Bertelson.

I want to start off by saying RIP to the Poor Innocent Children who died in this tragic fire...I am so heavy hearted for the loss. I am not going to speculate anything but just state facts...I used to live in that exact spot a year and a half ago,with no problems. Sincerely Paul and his maintenance Guy were good with whatever I needed done,changed out my ceiling tiles, fixed a drip in the roof, got me a new fridge, even one so big it had to be sent back because it didn't fit in the door. He really was a good landlord. Don't put him in that category yall. Anyways, each room had the heater registers that lined the floor and each had their own knobs on them that you adjust the heat with. And they got really hot. They were lining the floor so I guess they are "panel heaters". The rooms were small so they heated them well. I read that he used the shower and the oven to heat the place,and the heater didn't work. It would be "heaters", there was one in each room. The upstairs duplex actually has 2 brs on the 1st floor and 2 extra rooms as well, like a sun room and a front den. so I count 7 rooms total. (3 brs upstairs.)Heater registers lined the living room(3 of them)So,I hope their electricity wasn't turned off...because using the shower (water heater) and stove are gas so it would make sense to use those for heat if you had no electricity? I don't see any other reason otherwise to do that.Or, if a space heater was used and it caused the fire which they think started in the living room area was it unattended? I came here after I read his girlfriend just left him Thursday a day before. I knew JNS would be talking.

Ok I get it! The guy was scumm!But what does that have to do with those children that died? Are you posting in effort notify the public about the dangers of sex offenders? Or is it slum lords? Please stop it takes away from the fact that ALL children's life is precious , no matter what the parents did or what color they were. Is their life not as important because it was a drug house, the water was about to be cut off or the dad shouldn't have been around kids?Can you post something positive that helps the community? There are a lot of people in pain over this tragedy. I wouldn't wish what happened to them on anyone. If your intensions are to inform about slum lords ,tenant rights or un registered sex offenders. Why use this as a launch pad????

Why do you continue to insist that this is somehow the landlord's fault when you have no information to back that up? (I notice you don't post any comments that make reference to your own past as a landlord, John.)

I think it's going to get worse before it gets better with many more people dead. I don't know if I'd blame Mpls. entirely as much as I'd blame surrounding communities for their lack of effort and assistance in housing matters such as this. God forbid you even build a group home for kids with ADHD in a suburb these days.

Troy Lewis is on the record with mainstream media sources saying more than one baseboard electrical heater didn't work and that was why he was using a (dangerous) space heater. Evidence enough for me to editorialize that *if* investigation by the authorities proves those facts, then hold the slumlord responsible.

Jhonny the real leaders of 19 is getting out ..akram Mohammed is the active leader....he gets money from farrikan and the nation of islam for the rest of his life.. He will put that into the revenge of ty crack.....its go be a bloody summer...

Cuz he (AK) is already out but I can vouch for the bloody summer sayin..tho i dont think he is gonna riak his freedom and do anither 12 years or so,but i do believe he is gonna fund the activities lol..as far as kainus goes all u gotta do is fight him (in which he wont do) but if u catch him wit dat slammer he is gonna let u feel it lol. shit is bouta get real ugly..johnny I hope ur ready cause I can guarantee that you will have a shit load to blog about. Good day people

STATE OF MINNESOTAIN COURT OF APPEALSA03-1216Akram Muhammad, petitioner,Appellant,vs.State of Minnesota,Respondent.Filed May 18, 2004

FACTS

On July 3, 1998, appellant Akram Muhammadattended a party at 6048 Ewing Avenue North in Brooklyn Center, where he got into a confrontation with M.A.L.� Appellant had a gun with him during the argument and admitted that he wanted M.A.L. to be afraid of him.� The following evening, appellant attended another party at the same residence with three of his friends, including S.B.� According to witnesses, appellant and his friends began arguing with M.A.L. and went outside to fight.� Once outside, someone struck M.A.L. in the head with an object, causing him to fall to the ground.� Appellant then handed a gun to S.B. and told him to �shoot [M.A.L.] in the head.�� S.B. shot M.A.L. in the chest.� Police responded to the scene at approximately 1:00 a.m. on July 5, 1998, and found M.A.L. lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the chest.����

Appellant agreed to hide the gun used to shoot M.A.L. at his home.� Appellant admitted he made this decision knowing the gun was used in the shooting, that M.A.L. had sustained a life-threatening injury that resulted in paralysis, and that S.B. had been arrested for the crime.� Police executed a search warrant at appellant�s residence and recovered the gun.� Appellant maintained that he was not involved in the shooting, but nonetheless took responsibility for having a gun at the party and for assisting in concealing the gun after the shooting.�

A "world wide socialist" website is reporting the following facts:----------------------------The bodies of the children who died in the home were burned too badly to be identified. They could not be identified through dental records because the family could never afford to take the children to the dentist. -----------------------

This comment is not about this topic. But I didn't know how to comment on your short article on the home page. Where it says " Who is drunk Ronnie and His brother"? Regarding Terrell Mayes. I could just be fishing here but. You asked the question who is L Jones as well. They might be talking about "El Jones" El Jones(Larry Jones)was shot a couple of months back and is still in the hospital. I believe he is paralyzed. So maybe somebody was trying to shoot/kill him at the time Terrell Mayes was killed. Also, Pastor Paul is the White Pastor in Minneapolis that is known for giving away food. I believe his church is still across the street from Lincoln Elementary School. I hope this helps, The two might not having anything to do with the other. I just hate to see our kids having to suffer because of the senseless acts. I hope that they all get caught. And 9 times out of 10 most of the murders are connected in some way.

Can you link to anything about this El Jones and the shooting? I hadn't heard about that shooting. Also, do you have any idea what Jones' age might be? If I threw some Larry Joneses in front of you, could you maybe pick out the right one if I looked up that name on MNCIS?

I have questions that I hope someone can answer about what happened during the fire that killed the 5 young children. First, the man claimed (in that same news story) that he learned to crawl on the floor from watching tv, and then later credited his 'military training' for helping him during the fire. What I really want to know is what happened BEFORE he was out on the second floor deck screaming... did the smoke detectors wake him up? Why was he outside screaming with none of the kids pulled out yet? I have heard nothing at all about how he was alerted to the fire...usually there is smoke before the flames and smoke detectors alert people to that. None of the news people have talked about it. Why, during the interview in the hospital, did he make everything about himself instead of about his children?? Count the 'I's' and 'me's' that he uses instead of talking more about his children. I have many questions... more about him than about the landlord. I'm not accusing, I just have a lot of questions. God bless all of those children and give them peace.

I know Larry Jones just from growing up in North Minneapolis. Again, I don't know if his shooting is connected to any others in anyway, but you never know. Anything is possible. I'm not sure what his age is but it s probably Larry Jones 1973 His Facebook name is El Frankiebaby Jones. Please don't make a fool out of this man by posting irrelevant stuff, I really would just like to see justice brought forth for that child and his mother.

to Anon post @8:23p - he said the cries of Shaka calling him is what woke him to the fire. On the original news story, a neighbor had taken a video of the house on fire and there was a flashing, blueish light which some smoke detectors do emit while going off. That video has since disappeared from the web or I just can't find it. Thank you for pointing out his many "I"s and "me"s in his account. This speaks to his true nature. NOTE: There were no actual tears in his "breakdown". Keep watching people, the monster is revealing himself. Please pay attention.

Insurance? I don't know. I would love to know. But at least somebody is asking some good questions. Clearly, somebody's brain has managed to get loose from the soap opera version of the facts told by KARE and start asking some tough and realistic questions like "was there insurance?" I didn't want to be the FIRST to ask it, but now that a commenter has asked...

That's what I've been wondering since I first heard this story. From, like, 20 seconds into the story I was wondering that. I guess I'm cynical that way.

oooh!! Feb 18th 4:41 might be speculating that this man killed his children to collect the insurance money....not so far-fetched with the crocodile tears in full force. I smell a Chicago rat stinking the high heaven's.

After reviewing a variety of your post, I became more and more disinterested in your blog. I understand that crime is bad. However, as a law student, who is currently working in a county attorneys office, I want to question why you chose to look at people through labels and not as people first. We all do bad things, and we all make mistakes. However, to judge people simply based upon their past can sometimes be a problem.

In this instance, this man had a lost. You have never walked in his shoes, so who are you to discuss his past? He committed this crime (rape) over 20 years ago. You do not know the underlining facts either. Further, to say that someone's child(ren) is/are better off in foster care shows your ignorance and lack of understanding of both the justice system and the child protection services offered within this state.

Studies have proven that children are best with his or her parents or family members when possible.

So, I began to question why it is that you are so focused on attempting to make people, in particularly North Minneapolis residents, out to be evil, unruly, individuals. Is this a race thing? I honor and respect people who are upfront about their opinions. I would ask that you be candid in regards to the question above. I am also serving as an officer in the military, and your slants and biases you impose upon people, mostly black, is astonishing to me.

Why does it matter that he has a record? He lost 5 children period. I have never commented on a blog before. You are the first, and likely the last. I am baffled. And hurt.

I think it's hilarious that you're so worried about 'the truth', Johnny. You post whatever you want with a reckless disregard. You paint a horrible picture of Troy Lewis, but yet you believe the heat didn't work because "he said so"? That's just silly. And did he have insurance? I'm guessing the authorities are on it, so you don't have to worry - go back to having your head in the sand and trying to work people up with your stupid comments. It's sad, really...your writing is not that bad and you could be doing some good with it. Instead, you're busy being an idiot.That poor dad...no matter who he was, he lost his kids. And those poor girls who lost their siblings. And that landlord, who's being attacked just because you like to throw around the term "slumlord" without any facts. Get it together, John. You've helped me to make up a new word "SLUMBLOGGER".

His story about the heat not working is entirely consistent with all the other facts we know, including the space heater being the likely source of the fire and all the other slumlord practices by Bertelson, revealed in detail, in the most recent Star Tribune article. GET 'EM, STAR TRIBUNE!!!!